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Caird Library blog

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Bookings

Caird Library

Telephone

Museum switchboard

020 8858 4422

Recorded information line

020 8312 6565

Bookings

020 8312 6608

Venue hire

020 8312 6693

Library

020 8312 6516

All information is drawn from or provided by the venues themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

Royal Museums Greenwich comprises of three linked sites: the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory Greenwich and the 17th-century Queen's House. Set among the beautiful scenery and architecture of Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, Royal Museums Greenwich incorporates the world's largest maritime museum, the Prime Meridian of the world and London's only planetarium.

Venue Type:

Museum, Ship or maritime heritage site

Opening hours

Daily, 10.00-17.00Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.

All three sites close early on 31 December and open late on 1 January and on the occasion of the London Marathon each year.

Admission charges

For further information visit rmg.co.uk

Getting there

See our website for full transport details to our sitehttp://www.rmg.co.uk/visit/get-here/

Additional info

There is limited parking at weekends for cars and motorcycles.Please call in advance for:Disabled parkingGuided toursLibrary visits

The Queen's House is a registered wedding venue.

The National Maritime Museum's collections contain over two million items relating to seafaring, navigation, astronomy and time measurement. The collections include Nelson's Trafalgar uniform and the Harrison Chronometers.

The Museum is committed to improving access to its collections and over 10,000 objects are now available online: www.nmm.ac.uk/collections

The Caird Library, including specialist collections for researching family history

Exhibition details are listed below, you may need to scroll down to see them all.

Exhibition (permanent)

Nelson, Navy, Nation: The story of the Royal Navy and the British people, 1688–1815

21 October 2013 — 21 October 2020 *on now

From bustling dockyards to ferocious sea battles, the gallery brings to life the tumultuous 18th century, exploring how the Royal Navy shaped everyday lives as it became a central part of society and turned sea-faring heroes into national celebrities.

Journeying from the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Nelson, Navy, Nation brings together over 250 star objects from the Museum’s collections, from the sailor’s shoes worn to impress on shore leave and love tokens sent to sweethearts, to a fiendish seven-barrelled volley gun and an amputation knife and bullet forceps. Discover what made men join up, how they lived and what kept them in line; and how the Navy loomed large in all areas of the popular imagination, from caricatures to keepsakes and collectables.

Suitable for

Website

Forgotten Fighters: the First World War at Sea

As part of the National Maritime Museum’s commemoration of World War One this new gallery explores the naval and maritime dimensions of that conflict.

The horrors of the Western Front have long dominated our understanding of those years, and yet the war at sea was fought on an epic scale and with terrible human loss.

Forgotten Fighters foregrounds the personal stories of those who participated through a wide range of objects including weaponry, photographs, medals and ship models; in a gallery which takes visitors from the heroism of merchant mariners to the shattering realities of naval battle, and from the Falkland Islands and the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and the North Sea.

Website

The Art and Science of Exploration, 1768 – 80

7 August 2014 — 30 June 2015 *on now

Imagine seeing an animal as remarkable as a kangaroo for the first time. When Captain Cook’s first voyage to the South Pacific returned to Britain in 1771, he brought back accounts and images of extraordinary lands, peoples, flora and fauna. Returning twice more over the following decade, Cook established a pattern for voyages of discovery that combined scientific investigation with artistic response. Specially commissioned artists accompanied all three voyages, as well as producing works in Britain from specimens and accounts collected on the spot.

This August, in freshly-refurbished rooms at the centre of the Queen’s House, exceptional paintings, prints and drawings by five artists bring to life the attempt to understand this strange new world. The newly-acquired paintings by George Stubbs of a kangaroo and dingo go on display with portraits, landscapes and scenes of encounter with Pacific islanders, painted by William Hodges and John Webber on the second and third voyages; as well as botanical prints based on drawings by Sydney Parkinson, who died before the first voyage reached home.

These artists produced extraordinary images which worked both as scientific records of carefully-planned exploration, and sensitive representations of an unfolding new world.

Suitable for

Website

Astronomy Photographer of the Year

1 September 2014 — 19 July 2015 *on now

The Royal Observatory’s hugely popular Astronomy Photographer of the Year returns in 2014 to celebrate the very best in astrophotography from around the world.

The competition opens for entries in January 2014, with photographers invited to submit work to categories including ‘Earth and Space’, ‘Deep Space’ ‘Our Solar System’ and ‘Young Astronomy Photographer’. The winning images are selected by an expert judging panel which includes the Observatory’s Public Astronomer Dr. Marek Kukula.

After the awards are announced in September 2014 the winning photographs will be displayed in a special exhibition at the Royal Observatory.

The 2013 contest received a record number of entries, with over 1,200 outstanding pictures submitted from 49 countries around the globe. More details and previous winning images can be found at www.rmg.co.uk/astrophoto

Admission

Please check admission charges before visiting.

Exhibition (permanent)

Voyagers: Britons and the Sea

1 November 2014 — 1 November 2018 *on now

Set in the heart of the new Sammy Ofer Wing, Voyagers tells the story of Britain and the sea, illustrating the contemporary significance of maritime histories and the personal stories of our island nation.

The gallery, designed by Real Studios, contains over 200 objects representing the extraordinary depth and range of the Museum’s collection. Voyagers also features a dynamic audio-visual installation created by The Light Surgeons, using bespoke software developed by Flightphase.

Suitable for

Website

Traders: the East India Company and Asia

Traders: the East India Company and Asia is a permanent gallery exploring Britain’s maritime trade with Asia, focusing on the role played by the East India Company.

For over 250 years, the East India Company uniquely shaped trade between Britain and Asia. The gallery explores the influence of Company trade and power, tracing the changing relationships between Britain and Asia that this brought about.

This trade involved key commodities, different locations and many people. It had consequences that changed Britain and the world and still affect us today.

Suitable for

Family friendly

Website

Nelson's Ship in a Bottle

1 November 2014 — 1 November 2018 *on now

We are delighted to announce that thanks to the generosity of many individuals, the fundraising appeal to buy Yinka Shonibare, MBE’s sculpture Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle for the National Maritime Museum and ensure it remains on permanent display has been a success.

The work, which is a scaled down replica of HMS Victory, now has a permanent new home outside the recently opened Sammy Ofer Wing.

Suitable for

Family friendly

Website

The Great Map

1 November 2014 — 1 November 2018 *on now

The Great Map provides a space at the centre of the Museum where people can gather, delve deeper into our collections, and join in with events and celebrations. This multi-sensory experience is especially suitable for families.

Walk across the map’s surface, and use a touch-screen tablet to uncover stories of female pirates, Scott’s Antarctic expedition and many more. Understand from live data the currents and winds that drive vessels and people across the world’s oceans and seas.

Have fun on The Great Map playing games with your friends and family. With five games to choose from there is a game for everyone. Pick a card and explore the world as a submarine or build bridges across continents!

Suitable for

Website

Ahoy!

Our new gallery dedicated to our younger visitors. Board a pirate ship, stoke the fire of a steamship, navigate an ice-breaker, and more, all under one roof.

Suitable for

Family friendly

Exhibition (temporary)

Unseen: The Lives of Looking, by Dryden Goodwin

5 March — 26 July 2015 *on now

Acclaimed contemporary artist Dryden Goodwin creates his first feature-length film, considering the act of looking. Charting a series of close encounters by the artist, the film focuses on three individuals with a particular relationship to looking: a planetary explorer, an eye surgeon and a human rights lawyer; the artist’s own gaze reflects on their endeavours, through his intense drawing and filmmaking activity.

The solo exhibition will include drawings produced during the production of the film, as well as artefacts used by all four lookers in their work. In addition, items from the Museum’s collections highlight three figures in the history of the Queen’s House, Royal Observatory and Royal Hospital School, to consider how working at Greenwich has always involved detailed observation.

Where

The Queen's House

Website

Against Captain’s Orders: Journey into the Uncharted

28 March — 1 August 2015 *on now

Against Captain’s Orders: A Journey into the Uncharted will take audience members on the adventure of a lifetime through the National Maritime Museum’s extraordinary collection of maritime artefacts. With so much history secured in one museum: so many objects, so many stories, so many doorways to other times and other worlds, who knows who or what will turn up on this exciting journey. Exhilarating, enlightening and perhaps just a tiny bit dangerous, this is a theatrical expedition through the museum, the likes of which have never been seen before.

Admission

£19.75, 6 -12 years. Adults attending must be accompanying a child.

Exhibition (temporary)

Against Captain's Orders: A Journey Into the Uncharted

28 March — 1 August 2015 *on now

With so much history secured in one museum – so many objects, so many stories, so many doorways to other times and other worlds – Against Captain's Orders: A Journey into the Uncharted will take you on the adventure of a lifetime through the National Maritime Museum’s extraordinary collection of maritime artefacts.

Exciting, enlightening, and, who knows, perhaps just a tiny bit dangerous, Against Captain’s Orders: A Journey into the Uncharted promises a theatrical journey through the Museum, the like of which has never been seen before. Anyone brave enough to get on board will scarcely believe what will happen next…

Performances are open to schools and families with children aged 6-12yrs.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10.00 on Wednesday 24 September.

Meet Gary Railton from Urban Issues who specializes in birds of prey, and hear him talk about his work and the adventures on the job.

Gary flies Harris hawk Norman to scare off pigeons, starlings and the occasional seagull to prevent them from roosting in Cutty Sark’s rigging. Ask him everything you’ve always wanted to know about Harris hawks and how they can be trained to help preserve London’s many historic sites.

Turn up a bit early and you might even get to see Norman in action!

Suitable for

Where

Cutty Sark

Admission

Free with Cutty sark admission

Website

The Greatest Adventure

30 March — 10 April 2015 *on now

To celebrate the opening of an exciting new interactive gallery and Against Captain’s Orders, a unique theatrical journey into the Museum’s collection, take part in a range of activities that will take you on your greatest adventure.

Sleepover

Cutty Sark Sleepover

2 — 3 April 2015 7pm-9:30am

This Easter holiday we’re hosting the very first Cutty Sark sleepover, with lots of fun activities, workshops and storytelling. Explore the ship at night-time, and learn how to hoist the flags, coil the ropes and tie knots. An astronomer from the Royal Observatory will point out the stars and planets in the sky above the ship, and explain how sailors used these to guide them at sea.* Sleep on board Cutty Sark and wake up to a delicious ship's breakfast.

The Cutty Sark sleepover is for children aged 7–11, but accompanying parents will enjoy it too. All children must be accompanied by an adult over 18.

Suitable for

Where

Cutty Sark

Admission

Apprentice’s Experience, £45Sleep on the Tween Deck where cargo was stored over a century ago, and enjoy breakfast in the Even Keel Café underneath Cutty Sark’s magnificent hull.

Website

Travelling the Universe

14 April — 19 May 2015

This course explores space travel, from our earliest ideas about how space travel might be achieved, via recent, current and near future developments in crewed and un-crewed space travel, to speculation on how interstellar travel and time travel might be achieved. No prior scientific knowledge is required.

Suitable for

Admission

Website

‘Unseen’ Symposium

This interdisciplinary day, inspired by Dryden Goodwin’s feature-length essay film, will explore the nature and implications of looking surgically, legally, astronomically and culturally.

The day will include talks, screenings and readings and will involve all three distinguished participants of the film, as well as Goodwin himself. It will be hosted by Gareth Evans, Film Curator at Whitechapel Gallery.

Great Bear, Little Bear

Leading Lives – Leadership lessons from Elizabeth I and Ernest Shackleton

Through their stories, students will examine some of the key themes within the leadership module of their Business Studies course, including: management styles; leading in a crisis; team-building; the promotion of a strong image and corporate 'brand'.

How to obtain

This session is only available to schools and college groups and must be booked in advance:call +44 (0)20 8312 8575fax +44 (0)20 8312 6522e-mail bookings@nmm.ac.uk

Face to face resources

My First Visit

A very special introduction to the Museum, tailor-made for our youngest visitors. In these hands-on, multi-sensory taught sessions, children explore treasures of the Museum's unique collection through role-play, games, puzzles, riddles, and handling real objects.

How to obtain

This session is only available to schools groups and must be booked in advance:call +44 (0)20 8312 8575fax +44 (0)20 8312 6522e-mail bookings@nmm.ac.uk

Planet Ocean Quiz

PortCities London

Use this website to explore the history of maritime London from Roman settlements to today's Docklands. Find out about the individuals and events that have contributed to its wealth and importance, and discover the communities who have made this great port city their home.

Tudor Exploration

Vikings Online

This set of downloadable PDF documents has been specially written for teachers. They contain teachers' notes, classroom activiites and clear illustrations to support children studying the Vikings as raiders, traders and settlers.